Display-rack for rugs, curtains, and similar articles.



No. 814,801. PATENTBD MAR. 13, 1906.

' P. W. PIERCE.

I DISPLAY RACK FOR BUGS, CURTAINS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.3,1904.

IIYVENTUE/ FREDERICK W. PIERCE, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

DISPLAY-RACK FOR HUGS, CURTAINS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 13, 1906.

Application filed November 3, 1904 Serial No. 231.231.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. PIERCE, residing at Syracuse, in thecounty of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Display-Racks for Rugs, Curtains, and SimilarArticles, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in display-racks for rugs,curtains, and similar articles, and is particularly useful in the rugand curtain department of retail stores for conveniently displayinglarge numbers of different styles or patterns of rugs o'r curtains.

In the large retail stores it is necessary to exhibit large quantitiesof these rugs and ourtains several times a day, involving considerablelabor and incidental wear, due to the frequent rolling and unrolling ofthe rugs, which are usually spread upon the floor of the wareroom duringbusiness hours and are therefore more or less trampled upon and after atime become soiled or slightly worn to such an extent as to reduce theirvalue, there by forcing the proprietor to frequently dispose of largequantities of the soiled or worn rugs at a considerable sacrifice. Myobject is to equip the salesroom with a plurality of vertical racks orframes which are mounted side by side upon suitable supports and areeach provided with a horizontallyprojecting arm having one or more rowsof grips or spurs from which one or more rugs may be suspended in anupright position free from the floor. These frames are our naled insuitable bearings to swing horizontally, and in order to economize inspace they are arranged close together and may befolded laterally withthe articles thereon one upon the other.

Another object is to provide means whereby one or all of the parts ofthe swinging frame may be detached from their bearings or hingeconnections and raised or lowered for permitting the rugs or curtains tobe adjusted or attached to the horizontal arm of the swinging frame orrack and also to per- Init the parts of the frame to be taken apart andplaced out of the way when not in use.

Other objects and uses will appear in the following description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a lace view of a series of racks, showingthe rugs mounted thereon and also showing the means for raising andlowering the horizontal supportingarm, one of the racks being shown asswung laterally at an angle with the others. Fig. 2 1s a sectional viewtaken on line 2 2, Fig. 1,

showing the rack in side elevation and a rug as operatively mountedthereon. F 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2.

In carrying out the objects stated a series of horizontally-swingingframes 1 are disposed side by side in vertical planes and in closeproximity to each other and are pivotally attached at their uprightedges to lower and upper supports or templets 2 and 3, which in thisinstance are secured, respectively, to the floor, as a, and one of theupright walls, as b, of a salesroom in which the rugs, curtains, orother articles are to be exhibited or displayed.

Each of the frames or racks 1 is adapted to support two or more rugs orcurtains in such manner as to display their full length and breadth inan upright position free from the floor, and comprises, essentially, ahorizontal bar 4 and a diagonally-disposed brace-bar 5, the horizontalbar 4 being provided with opposite rows or spurs 6, projecting indiverging angles from the upper edge of said bar or entering andsupporting a pair of rugs or curtains, as 0, while the brace-bar 5 isengaged with and supports the outer free end of the horizontal bar.

The lower and upper supports or templets 2 and 3 are provided with aseries of pairs of vertically-lined bearings, as apertures 7 and 8, inwhich are journaled suitable trunnions or studs 9 and 10 at the innerupright sides of the swinging frames or racks 1.

As shown in the drawings, the trunnion 9 is secured to the lower end ofthe diagonal brace-bar 5, and the trunnion or stud 10 is secured to therear end of the horizontal bar 4, so that the trunnions of each swingingrack 1 are in vertical alinement with each other and close to theupright side wall I).

The horizontal bar 4 of each frame is provided with a mortise or recess11 in its lower side near its front end for receiving a tenon 12 on theupper end of the brace-bar 5,whereby the horizontal bar 4 and its brace5 are interlocked with each other; but this interlocking connection ispreferably detachable to permit the horizontal bar 4 to be raised andlowered out of engagement with the bar 5,whereupon both bars may beremoved from their bearings 7 and 8 to afford a knockdown constructionfor the purpose of facilitating packing for transportation and storage.A fur ther object of this detachability of the upper IIO horizontal armfrom the brace-bar 5 is to enable the salesman to remove and lower theupper bar to facilitate attachment of the rugs or curtains theretowithout the use of a step-ladder or similar device. accomplish thisraising and lowering of the bar 4, I provide an overhead track cl and acarriage 13, which is movablealong the track and. is provided withdepending tackle-blocks 14 and a cable 15, the lower block 14 having adepending hook 16, which is adapted to engage an eye 17 centrally in theupper edge of the bar 4, as best seenin Figs. 1 and 2, so that byengaging the hook 16 in eye 17 and drawing down upon the free end ofthecord or cable 15 the bar 4 may be drawn upwardly to (flisengage thetrunnion 10 from its bearing 8 and at the same time to disengage thefree end. of the arm 4 from the tenon 12 of the bar 5.

In some instances I may desire to dispense with. the bracebar 5 andbearing 8 and support the bar 4 directly upon the hook 16 of thecarriage 13, which would permit the bar 4, with the rugs or curtainsthereon, to be turned at any angle free from the floor and at the sametime move longitudinally along the track (Z in order to permit the rugsto be examined under different light effects, although substantially thesame degree of movement may be obtained by pivoting the frames 1., aspreviously described, independently of the carriage 13 and itssupportinghook 16. v

In the operation of my invention the rugs or curtains are suspended fromtheir upper ends upon the spurs or fastenings 6, one rug or curtain ateach side of the bar 4. Therefore each. frame is adapted to support'atleast two rugs or curtains, thereby displaying the full length andbreadth of each and maintaining them in a smooth extended condition freefrom the floor, where they may be readily inspected or examined bymerely swinging the frames laterally upon their respective bearings, andinasmuch as these frames are mounted close together in an uprightposition they occupy a minimum space and may be folded backwardly oneupon the other when not in use. These frames may normally be folded allthe same way, one upon the other, to occupy-as little floor space aspossible, and when a prospective buyer wishes to examine In order to therugs the one exposed side, and the rugs of each successive rac may inthis way be examined without handling or trampling upon the same,thereby avoiding the usual soil and wear incidental to unrolling andspreading the rugs upon the floor.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. A display-rack for rugs, curtains and similar articles, comprising ahorizontallyswinging arm having means for engaging and supporting thearticle to be displayed, supports upon which both ends of the arms areloosely seated and means connected to the central portion of the arm toraise and lower said arm from said supports.

2. A display-rack for rugs, curtains and similar articles, comprising asupport, an.

arm loosely pivoted at one end to the support to swing horizontally, andmeans connected to the center of the arm for raising and lowering thearm away from the sup port.

3. A display-rack for rugs, curtains and similar articles, comprisinglower and upper bearings,- a frame journaled in said bearings andincluding a horizontal bar and a diagonal braceb ar, the horizontal barbeing loosely seated on the brace-bar to be removed and means on thehorizontal bar to engage and hold the article to be displayed.

4. In a display-rack, the combination of lowerand upper bearings, ahorizontallyswinging frame loosely seated in the bearings and having anindependent vertical movement to disengage it from said bearings, saidframe comprising a horizontal bar and a diagonally disposed brace bar,upon which one end of the horizontal brace-bar is loosely seated andmeans on the horizontal bar to engage and hold the article to bedisplayed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of October,1904.

FREDERICK W. PIERCE.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, HOWARD P. DENISON.

